I am compiling this guide as a tool for new people, those who are unsure about their progress, or those who possibly have outlevelled their gear and dont know what they may have missed. In Athen Paladins we aim to provide you with the tools and knowledge to be able to be self-sufficient and also useful in PvM and/or PvP. There are many, many veterans in AP and they all have plenty of knowledge. BUT we are not here to just simple gather things for you, or tend to your every beck & call, or carry you through raids. So my personal rule, and I'm hoping this will continue for all people, is that I wont be just "giving" my time or items, until I know you have looked here, or somewhere similar and at least showed you have done some research yourself.

Websites to bookmark

http://www.auno.org - make an account here and you can build your set ups and see how it affects your stats. Also can search for profession nanos and symbiants. As well as the basic item search

As a side note, everything in the game can be obtained for FREE by simply following the procedure in which it was originally intended to be obtained. I.e. doing missions, the raid, tradeskilling the items etc.

BUT

It does cost money to get things! and often the cost of obtaining the item(s) is better than trying to find it. If you think it is worth it, then go for it. Usually patience will save you money in the end.

Making creditsAssuming you dont have the ability to solo to TNH or have many 220's to raid and kill dynas. The best way to make credits in on Rubi-Ka. The general rule is to loot everything. Sell to shops what you can and the rest sell in sets to players.

To sell items go to the Miir shop inside Newland City: the machines pay much more for the same items!

The best things to sell to players are ql160-180 NCU belts, full basic implant sets QL 200, Hardcore CPU upgrades and almost all nanos that are looted in missions. Even Basic armour (needed to make Alien armour; surdy given in Bazzit's shop in Meetmedeere by Maria) sets will sell very well. Most veteran AO players will throw up to 100mil away over their toons levelling to get nanos, implants and weapons, NCU items and belts. So you need to cash in on it.

DON'T try for the big 500million credit item that is 1:10000 drop rate. Better to sell multiple things over time. By all means try it. But don't do it at the expense of everything else.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX - meaning don't just go for the obvious money making ideas. You can sell buffs. Eg. 500,000 for a buff or something. Stand in BOR or OA near the grid and announce "XXXX buff at OA grid, tips welcome". Sell the ability to roll an item for people "rolling nanos QL 160-200 PST for nano and price" for example selling all of the MP teaching nanos will sell for greater than the individual at once. Do your VP daily missions per day and then sell the VP for nanos and OFAB. Rule of thumb 1K VP = 1mil on nanos and 1.5mil on armour.

Even the boring blitzing of missions will give credits on completion.

Do your research

Look at the profession guides on the AO forums (careful some can be a tad outdated). have a look at the way a profession is played. Eg. Do you like the idea of doing damage, healing, tanking etc. Do you like the idea of swords, guns or nanos. Also read about your professions abilities at different levels. eg. Crats are good at lvl 90+, but can be tough at lower levels. Enfs are great at lower levels, but get harder until 220. If you prefer to solo then chose wisely.

AVOID levelling what is in favour now as this will always change. Just level what you find interesting.

AVOID rolling many toons as the cost to level will outweigh your ability to make money.

Obviously you will have done your research on how your profession is supposed to work in teams and raids. So make sure you are familiar. I am not going to say this here as its different for each profession, raid and level. If you are unsure ask someone with a high level character of the same profession, or post the question on alliance/AP forums.

There are usually a few types of teams

Social Pick up Groups

Generally easy going teams, will tolerate some noobiness, will generally kill slower. Find these if you are still learning a bit. Announce to the team any insecurities you may have. Eg. "hi guys, I dont think my damage is great at the moment, if you have any suggestions let me know". Most people will be more lenient if you are honest, rather than looking like you are leeching. You may be asked to leave if you group is the next one;

Hardcore Pick Up Groups

More for the people who are all well geared, usually looking to level fast or get the raid done ASAP. If you are undergeared or not famliar with your profession, then you will stand out like a sore thumb. Also this will affect your chances of teaming these people again. Rather announce you aren't highly geared and perhaps find a more social group. They may be ok with it and you can stay. But better to be upfront than them find out as assume you are leeching off them.

Alliance RaidsPosted Mondays by Chris on AP and alliance forums (www.aoalliance.org) check this every week. In general they are more attended and dont fail.. But these are a good times to join and get how the playfields are played.

Impromptu raidsNot scheduled, but sometimes organised ingame. You may see people asking in org or alliance if people want a particular raid. If you are a bit undergeared or unsure of the PF this is not really the time to join. Don't be offended, but its very frustrating for the raid team to be relying on you and fail multiple times.

Raid Don'ts

Do not send tells to the raid leaderDo not spam the raid chat with useless informationDo not run ahead, lag behind or attack random mobsDo not raid with your lower toon if you have a better one to raid with (unless necessary)

Raid Do's

Check the forums at least weeklySign up ON FORUMS if you need the raidshow up AT LEAST 20 mins before the start timeCheck the guide(s) beforehand www.ao-universe.comUSE THE ASSIST

Levels 1-10 are best done on RK in the backyard (as long as you arent shade or keeper). RK generally levels faster at lower missions, gives credits & you can always go the the SL start-up area up until level 15 (iirc). If possible do ALL of the quests you can to get any of the free items. NCU belt, NCU and a Back Pack at least. Also get up until 2 Alien levels on the Zix and do the quest to upgrade your start-up weapon(s).

Levels 10-20

I would recommend getting about ql30 implants found in the basic shop and looking for better NCU belt and NCUs. Subway is still better credits and XP than shadowlands as you can kill faster. Also missions for rewards and credits can be good. Remember loot everything.

Levels 20-40

Should be able to put on a new weapon, check your profession guide for options. Should be putting on some armour. Carbonum is good as it increases NCU (which is good for buffing). Put on better NCU and then look at www.auno.org for upgrades on nanos. At lvl 25 you can do composite nanos that will help equip better NCU. Also MPs can do composite teachings for 25 more and its low NCU cost.

25 is the last lvl you can enter subway (iirc) so if you can, try to kill the bosses for the better rewards. The ring of nucleus basalis is almost a must have. And can sell well if you can farm

Levels best done her in shadowlands. Cripplers then croakers are great for this level. Or do more missions. You should aim to get your tokens accumulating for more HP And Nano

Levels 40-60

At this level with some work you should be close to ql100 imps (if not higher). Find better weapons and NCU and nanos. If you did RK missions you should have credits to do this. lvl 60 is the last level you can enter Temple of Three Winds and there is great stuff there. check it out on ao-universe.

You should be able to team and kill hecklers in nascence (avoid OST/Kite teams if you are starting out).

At this time you should do the quest for the key to the garden of Aban. Its just a run here and run there type mission. So collect about 8 insignias and do it.

Should Do's Before 60

Should be close to being able to kill almost all small bosses in ToTW. Should be able to kill the Croakers without issue.

Can keep going on Hecklers if you want, though levelling kinda plateus at lvl 65. About now you should be able to put in QL125ish implants. And possibly some lower symbiants. At this level you should try to build up your tokens doing missions and daily missions. You should also have at least 5 AI levels. You should have 200 or so NCU at least. If you can try to get nano skill buffs from MPs so you can get better buffs. At 80 you should be able to solo a heck fairly comfortably. If you can't try to improve your setup.

Levels 80-110

You should go and do foremans. Check AP forums and ao-universe for guides. It also helps to do your Specialisation 1. Check ao-universe for more info.

Also of note, Steppes of Madness has some nice nano-buffing items and other NCUs etc, if you didnt get from ToTW.

You can do Tiigs in Ely for some levels. At 110 you should rethink your NCU, Armour & weapons. At 110 some useful symbiants become available and you can try for ql200 implants. After this you should be finding some better armour. Check your profession guides for what is best for you. If you have been doing your VP daily every day you may have some VP to buy OFAB. Your weapon should be many levels above you now, depending on your profession.

If at 110 you cannot solo a Tiig, re-do your set-up, or ask for some help and advice.

Levels 110-130

Cyborgs are great for levelling. lots of teams due to froob-friendly nature. Also they drop good stuff. the prototype board is very useful for later-on.

At 130 I would recommend you do the ely key quest. You should update your implant/symbiants. you should be almost able to cast your highest RK nanos. Check guides again for new weapons.

Should Do's before lvl 130Should have a good number of tokens (possibly 400). Should have all of your top nano's on RKShould have some good armour and at least 400 NCUShould have 10 AI levels Should be confident of how your profession fits into the teamShould have a rough understanding of how other professions work in a team

Last edited by Elrojo on Tue Sep 25, 2012 11:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

Here you can stay at heckler in Ely. You should be pretty right soloing (depending on your profession). If you are a damage dealer you should be able to solo. If you are a healer you should be able to keep a good tanking profession alive with 2 hecks at least.

At 150 you should stop and really improve your set-up. This is a great level to stop. Do lots of Battle station, Alien dailies and normal daily missions. Bare minimum you should be in almost all symbiants by now QL 170-200. This is usually tougher to do as they come from higher level mobs. I would suggest at this level try to make money with buffs, RK missions, selling implants etc. Some symbiants here are very expensing (20mil or more), but sometimes just go the QL lower than the best one as its not going to be significantly worse.

You should have your Specialisation 2 by now and even have saved in Scheol garden.

Between 140 and 160 I would level almost exclusively on RK missions, Daily missions, Elite dailies and Alien dailies. This will ensure you have lots of tokens and credits.

Levels 160-190

You can progress to Adonis at lvl 130, but i recommend 160. At this level you should be able to solo the key quest (another run here, go there quest). Also this is when you should ask for some help to progress through the Adonis quest, this is a must do. This will give you the specialisation 3 items.

At 160 you should try for some Miy's items and maybe some OFAB. Check guides for your options. If you have AI expansion you should be aiming for the s7 weapon or something similar.

Also available to you is the Dark Ruins missions. This is great XP. And should take you close to 180-190. If you cannot do this Quest to the end, do not progress further until you can. DR will test all the aspects of your profession and is an excellent learning tool.

You can also go back and do Scheol quest for more XP and nanos etc.

Should Do's before 190

Have at least 1000 tokensBe Alien level 15 or higherResearch completed to at least lvl 6'sHave your shadowland nanos to the level you are (all are usually level locked)At 170-190 you should be comfortable at killing Ado hecks in a small teamYou should start to find some yuttos NCU and have a decent nano deck (including viral compiler and Hardcore NCU upgrade)Uncle Bazzits Quest for AI3Corporal Ashley Winestead Quest for nano

Last edited by Elrojo on Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.

At this time I would progress to Penumbra. You should be able to get there and get an insignia to save in the garden. Try to kill mobs around Ravine until you have looted 35 fragments of the source, 6 unredeemed insigs and as many redeemed as you can. Do the key quest, you will need help. After this go through the pen quest. This will give specialisation 4 and at the end you can do the PF alappaa (check ao-universe).

I would suggest doing the PF a few times to increase your chances of getting a program. Dont worry you can trade yours for the one you need if you dont loot the right one. Just use Shopping channel or neutnet. Or ask in alliance/AP chat.

After you do these things its time to go to Inf. During your times I am sure that you will see very frequent raids for getting the molar from the ice golem. If not then I suggest checking forums for raids, or posting on alliance forums that you need. The boss is killed in the incarnator NE of ravine.

200 is another great place to stop as BS runs frequently for VP and XP. Try to get enough VP for your end-game OFAB armour, your VP nanos (found in tower shop)

Levels 200-205

Welcome to SK and where your profession really kicks off. If you are well geared for your level (check profession guides) you shouldnt have a problem getting inf missions. Also at 205 you should be using ql 240+ symbiants, have 600+ NCU, be using 250+ weapon and in high lvl armour. at 205 if you are the ideal breed for your profession you should be close to getting on some endgame OFAB.

Should Do's before 205

Have all your VP nanos from tower shopHave AT LEAST ql 210 symbiants in all relevant spotsHave 2000 TokensHave AI level 20+Have at least all lvl 7-8 research done

At 205 you should roll penumbra missions to get your shadow breed. This will help you no end in the future especially for PvP.

In this level you should be able to get on your endgame OFAB gear. I would suggest also looking at your profession guide, or asking on forums what other gear might be useful for you. Unlikely you can afford Alien armour, unless you got superbly lucky in a city raid.

You should start to go to Alliance raids to get the hang of the different raids. I would, out of politeness, not roll on the 210+ items like the belt items from APFs, the beast weapons, Burden of competence etc, until you are over 210, or unless no-one else needs.

At ths level you should be working your way through your lvl 9 research levels and AI levels 24+. I would suggest still grinding out levels with inferno missions, daily missions etc. Unlikely BS will run at 200-215 so I recommend doing the tower tagging missions.

Levels 210-215

Not much different to levels 205-210. I would try again to grind out research levels and alien levels. At 215 you should definitely be in your End-game OFAB gear. 240+ Symbs should be doable now.

Register on forums if you see inf key and ask for help to get your +10 ring for Pandemonium. I would also suggest getting help to get items for your inferno boots and HHAB.

Continue to raid with alliance. By now you should be able to handle your business in inferno missions without fuss.

Should Do's before 215

Should know everything about your profession at end gameHave sufficient experience in Alliance raids so you are confident to run pick up groupsHave ql300 ofab weapons, or a very suitable alternative (eg. q300 Alien weapon)Should have started to accumulate your APF nano itemsRegistered for Alliance Dust Brigade Quest

Last edited by Elrojo on Wed Sep 26, 2012 6:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

By now you should be very confident that your character can solo all regular mobs in inferno as well as any mob in an easy mission.

You should be in the high AI20's, if not 26+. Also finish getting VP as the 215-220 BS opens again. Don't worry about getting ganked. This may help you later if you want to PvP more seriously.

Try to complete the dust brigade quest (check AP forums), even if just bit-by-bit. Keep up with inf and dailies and you will have over 2500 tokens, ready for your APF loot. Check ao-universe for what drops in which PF.

Check for the high level quests such as Arid Rift and Neretva. These can be long and involved so aim to do them bit by bit. Also check for the AI team daily in arid to build your warp device.

220 - Welcome to Enlightenment

Ok so once you get to 220 this is where you are expected to be able to carry your own without help. So DO NOT get to 220 being severely underequipped. This doesnt mean you need full Alphas, beast weapons and AI armour. But it does mean you should have started to get LoX beta symbiants (some are as low as 5mil), you should (hopefully) be lucky enough for your belt from s28. You should have done DB quest, maybe looted a few DB buffing items, been to albatrum and checked out what you need from there.

I'll make it sticky. I may add a few links (just for example our own Albtraum items guide) or some details but in this case I'll mention it in a post so you are ware and can edit again accordingly if necessary.

Edited the maps part to add links to our forums and to some other maps and give a little more details.

Also added in the making money part: To sell items go to the Miir shop inside Newland City: the machines pay much more for the same items!

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